Valerie Red-Horse Mohl set out to make a documentary on Wilma Mankiller, who in 1985 became the first woman elected principal chief of the Cherokee Nation. But she was surprised when support came from fans of the hit show “The Walking Dead.”

Mohl, a Sunnyvale resident, said she was inspired to do a passion project on Mankiller, who she said said improved the lives of many Cherokee people and focused her political career on listening to people on both sides of the political aisle, after PBS suggested taking on the subject. The result is her documentary, “Mankiller.”

“What is so amazing is Wilma’s message that comes through so clearly in the film,” said Mohl. “Her message is how political leadership should be bipartisan with no labels, should be about uniting, listening to opponents and working together in a community and even in a larger environment to get things done.”

The film was recently screened at the 10th imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts festival in Toronto and for members of Congress. Locally, the film was screened in Palo Alto at the Aquarius Theater on Oct. 19 and will be shown Nov. 5 at 5 p.m. at the Brava Theater Center in San Francisco. There will be a question-and-answer session with Mohl after the film.

Filming was done partially in the Bay Area, where Mankiller spent her early life and began developing her political activism. According to Mohl, Mankiller left Oklahoma at age 11 when a government relocation program forced her family to move to San Francisco.

It was there that Mankiller became more politically active. She was first elected in 1983 as deputy chief on a ticket with Republican candidate Ross Swimmer. When Swimmer was appointed assistant secretary of the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs by Ronald Reagan, Mankiller replaced him as principal chief and went on to run for the position in 1987, winning by a small margin. She would be elected a third time in 1991, winning by an 82 percent margin.

Under her leadership, the Cherokee tribe grew from 68,000 members to 170,000. She headed programs to improve infrastructure for Cherokee communities.

“She brought infrastructure and water to one community where she organized people to lay down pipes. She turned the tribe around. She launched the gaming industry; it really brings in most of the economy for the tribe,” said Mohl.

Mohl said that PBS had committed at the outset to only funding half of the documentary’s budget. Executive producer Gale Anne Hurd, known as the “First Lady of Sci-Fi,” suggested a Kickstarter campaign.

Hurd has produced such hits as “Terminator,” “Alien” and “The Abyss.” Actors from AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” which Hurd also produces, helped promote the project and gave away autographs, memorabilia and other prizes to donors.

The Kickstarter campaign raised $164,856 from 1,016 backers to make the “Mankiller” documentary a reality.

Even though it’s a far cry from the zombies on “The Walking Dead,”Mohl said her documentary is similar to the hit TV show in one important way.

“We have a strong woman that did not have any special birthright and made this difference in the world,” she said.

For more information on the documentary, visit mankillerdoc.com. To purchase tickets to the San Francisco screening, visit eventbrite.com.

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